"I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" -Anne of Green Gables

We found a nice big pumpkin to carve this year.  I am hoping that it is full of seeds, since getting the seeds out is my favorite part, not so much a fan of the carving.  Pumpkins give me the warm fuzzies.  Makes me think about the day I cut one open and lifted the lid to find a ring hanging from the top, then Deke took a knee and asked me to marry him.  It was romantic and so creative.  Every time I watch the video I cry.  I was so surprised and the moment was so tender.  Oh I love Deke, he makes me so happy.  Every year when the pumpkins start to appear in the stores it is my favorite time of year.  Now eleven years later my warm fuzzies are in overdrive with the connection to deke and now seeing my four babies all huddled around one.  It makes me think of a quote I recently saw, "I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" 

- Anne of Green Gables

Chuckin' chickens and outhouse golf

 We are always trying to find new things going on in the valley that we have never been to.  So was the case with the Cowboy Country Festival in Goodyear.  This is only its second year and so it was really small, but the great part was it wasn't crowded, the people running it were really nice and the kids had fun.  The highlight of the day was that they got to ride the horses.  They have only ever rode ponies in a circle and never around an arena, they LOVED it!

 After the horse ride they tried to knock down cans with mini marshmallow shooters.  Every time they would shoot a marshmallow out, Hudson would start laughing hysterically.  It was the funniest thing and it had us all laughing.

 Then they ran their energy out in the small maze chasing each other and racing through it...

 Hudson just wanted to sit and play with the straw and pull it out of the bales piece by piece and then throw it and grab a new piece.

 He would crawl over to a bale and say "Ball!!!" and point at the pumpkins. Then stand up and start pushing the small pumpkins off the edge and watching to see if they would bounce. "Oh Ball!!!" he kept saying over and over pointing at them.  We finally had to put him by some big ones that he couldn't move because I was worried he was going to bust some of the small ones and then we would have to buy smashed pumpkins.  Ball is his favorite word right now.

 Hunter located a beauty of a pumpkin that we all agreed had to come home with us.

 After pumpkin picking we headed over to play some games.  We played musical saddles....

 Then we "chucked chickens" into hula hoops.  It was great that the rubber chickens made noises when you tossed them and then when they hit the ground.

 How about a round of "redneck horseshoes" using toilet seats.  Deke was all about this game.  It was actually pretty challenging.

 We ended off with some outhouse golf trying to land our ball into the toilet.  Ave thought this was hilarious and kept trying and trying until she got it.

 We loaded up our pumpkin and headed over to grandma and grandpa burch's for dinner.  It was fun to try something different and I have to hand it to this little festival they had some creative ideas.  Just so nice to be able to be outside doing stuff as a family.  So glad fall is here.

What?!?

 This week there have been a few random funny things that made me think "what in the world?" and so I decided to snap a quick pic. Case in point above.  Caught Emma walking through the kitchen one day like this.  Ariel was hanging on  her necklace by her hair like some sort of super sized charm.  When I asked Em what she was doing she told me "I want to hold Ariel but my arms are getting tired."  Okay so its a little unconventional but I guess like any  mom she sometimes needs to have her hands free :)  Then we walked into Michael's the other day and someone had made a Princess Celestia my little pony out of the craft pumpkins.  Never seen anything like that with pumpkins before...

 Hunter surprised me at the Y and made me a LEGO heart....

 and this next one blew me away not gonna lie.  The other day at work the kids were sitting their happily playing Mr. Potato head.  Emma asked me to come over and take a picture of their creations that they had lined up.

 You know that song from Sesame Street, "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same"  yeah well do you see it??  Where have I been and when in the world did they start making Carrot heads?

 I'm sorry but it is just weird.  Carrots don't fit.  Look at the poor gal, you can tell that she knows she is sort of a misfit.

 I was intrigued and sat down and played with the kids and tried the whole carrot thing.  It was weird don't know what else to say.  Not feeling the whole new "carrot trend."  Oh yeah and I won't even talk to you about my emotions when I saw they also had a cob of corn. Sheesh are they going for a mixed vegetable blend sort of thing?? Not a fan. What is this world coming to? :) :)

Conference waffles

This really is such a simple family tradition, yet it is something we all look forward to.  Every Oct. and Apr. it is time to watch general conference.  We wake up, and together as a family make homemade Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.  We work together but no one is talking, we are all listening to the speakers and we go about our work of preparing the meal.  Quietly helping each other and all of us in the kitchen together.  I love it.  It brings a certain reverence in.
It is so fun to watch how the kids are able and eager to help more and more with the cooking.  This year the girls (with mom's supervision) made the batter for the waffles.  They even cracked the eggs!

A favorite job to get assigned is to get to wash and slice the strawberries.  This conference Emma got to use her "baby knife" and help cut as well.  I was so proud of my girls watching them.

Avery helped guide and direct her and I don't think I have ever seen a three year old cut strawberries that well.  By themselves without any help from Deke or I, Ave and Em sliced the entire three cartons of berries.

Hunter watched the waffles and checked them on cooking time while dad did the sausage links and mom supervised all the "going ons" of the meal.  Hudson very willingly sat in his high chair and enjoyed his first strawberry waffle breakfast.  I think it is safe to say that he is a fan....

At first he wasn't sure but after a bite or two he just started grinning and saying "mmmmmmm" and then shoving more in his mouth.  When we put a little whipped cream on his tray he was super excited and once he realized how yummy it was, he devoured it all.

Then after the tower of waffles had been piled high and all the toppings were done, we sat down and ate together and listened to the talks.  Hunter giving a content grin at us from across the table, Avery adding on more whipped cream, Emma's strawberry/cream mustache growing larger by the minute as Hudson continued to double fist his.  Getting to be both physically and spiritually fed :) :)